To introduce Platform partners, who provide services and tools under the “100 Resilient Cities” (100RC), on May 20, Da Nang Climate Change Coordination Office (CCCO) organized the workshop of “Identifying Platform Partners to support Resilience Strategy implementation”. The participants included members of Advisory Board and Working Group, and experts who are directly involving in research for focus areas.

As defined by 100RC, Platform is a catalog of tools and services provided by diverse partners from the private, public, academic, and non-profit sectors. This list was selected carefully by 100RC to increase the access of cities to sources of technical support and solutions to address problems in and post-strategy. Additionally, Platform is aimed at accelerating the process of experience exchange and learning among cities, as well as scaling up solutions which have been implemented effectively.

Currently, there are more than 80 organizations in Platform, providing hundreds of experts with various kinds of expertise, helping cities to overcome their challenges. Provided services and tools can be divided into 04 main categories – isues that most cities often encounter:

– Built environment

– Natural environment

– Responsive cities

– Municipal finance

When it came to the benefits of joining the Platform, Ms. Lauren said, through the process of cooperation with member cities, these Platform Partners are more likely to perform pilot studies, leverage opportunities to promote their organization images to crowded city, thereby, developing relationships as well as expanding the list of potential partners. Moreover, this is also an opportunity to strengthen their relationships with city governments, accelerating the implementation of projects.

However, the service, the tool is supported in a limited time, so that sometimes cities must pay additional costs to use services and tools comprehensively.

Ending her presentation, she emphasized that Platform Partners are very enthusiastic and generous in terms of time, effort and services and tools they provide. Therefore, she hoped Da Nang would seriously consider using potential services and tools, giving positive feedback so that the city and partners can discuss and produce suitable solutions together.

At the workshop, CCCO also shared about three Platform Partners that may collaborate with the city in two focus areas of Da Nang including resistant housing against natural disasters and the application of information technology in disaster early warning and response. Accordingly, SwissRe, a leading wholesale provider of reinsurance of Switzerland, is working with Da Nang to develop an insurance package which can fit the city’s natural conditions, demands and challenges regarding disaster resilient housing. Besides, the city is also studying and considering using the tool of Crisis Management from 3S software company, and the Visual Climate Adaptation Platform (VCAP) the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). VCAP will support the city in planning integrated strategy for the management of climate change adaptation and disaster mitigation, strengthening the resilience of the city to impacts of climate change and other extreme events, ensuring livelihoods and employment, which are important part of the city’s prosperity. Earlier, CSIRO has collaborated with relevant units and agencies of the city to conduct a feasibility study for VCAP using. VCAP is based on CSIRO’s City Engines to enhance resilience to climate risks, including:

– Collecting and preliminarily evaluating necessary data,

– Demonstrating VCAP to illustrate and provide information and knowledge to support planning and decision-making in storm risk reduction.

The feasibility study will be the bedrock to develop proposals for the construction of a complete VCAP for Da Nang in the next stage.

Currently, CCCO is actively performing our role as a conduit and coordinator of solution exchange and search for the challenges raised in 04 focus areas through Platform Partners.

What is UCR-CoP?

The Urban Climate Resilience Community of Practice (UCR-CoP) was established in December 2011 under the purview of the Vietnam Urban Forum (VUF), in recognition of the need to share and learn from the ongoing efforts by diverse stakeholders working in the climate change resilience field. UCR-CoP membership is free and open to all interested organizations and individual practitioners who are supporting efforts to build urban climate resilience in Viet Nam. Read more…